The Private Security Sector Provident Fund explained: contributions, claims and what to check
What the deduction on your payslip is, what the employer adds, what happens when you change companies, and when you can claim.
TenEight Team · 19 September 2026
The Private Security Sector Provident Fund is the retirement fund that every security officer covered by Sectoral Determination 6 belongs to, and it is the line on the payslip that officers ask about most and understand least. Money goes out every month. Where it goes, what the employer adds, when you can claim it and what happens when you change companies are questions that decide whether an officer retires with something or with nothing.
What the Private Security Sector Provident Fund is
The fund (usually shortened to PSSPF) was set up under the sectoral determination for the private security industry. Membership is compulsory for security officers employed by registered security businesses and covered by the determination, and the employer must register with the fund and pay contributions for every eligible officer. It is a provident fund, not a pension fund, which historically meant the full benefit could be taken as a lump sum at retirement. Since the retirement reforms of recent years, contributions made after the reform date are subject to the same annuitisation rules as pension funds above a threshold, while older contributions keep their lump-sum treatment.
The fund is administered by a professional administrator on behalf of a board of trustees drawn from employers and employee representatives. It also provides risk benefits (a death benefit and, in most cases, a funeral benefit) which is why the contribution is more than a savings deduction.
How the contributions work
The determination sets the contribution as a percentage of the officer's wage, split between the officer and the employer:
The officer's contribution is deducted from the wage each month and shown on the payslip.
The employer's contribution is paid by the company in addition to the wage. It is not deducted from the officer.
Both are paid to the fund by the employer each month with a schedule listing every member.
Both halves are set at the same percentage of the wage in the determination. Check the current rate on the fund's or the Department of Employment and Labour's published schedule, since it is reviewed with the annual wage adjustment. Part of the combined contribution pays for the risk benefits and administration. The rest goes into the officer's individual account.
What officers should check
That you are a member. Ask your employer for your fund member number. If they cannot produce one after a month of employment, the contributions are probably not being paid.
Your annual benefit statement. The fund issues one. Ask HR for it or request it from the administrator. It shows contributions received, month by month, and your account balance.
That the months match your payslips. Every month a deduction appears on the payslip should appear as a contribution received. Gaps mean the employer deducted but did not pay.
Your beneficiary nomination. The death benefit is paid to dependants and nominated beneficiaries. A form you filled in at your first employer ten years ago may name the wrong people.
If contributions are missing, raise it with the employer in writing first, then report it to the fund. The fund pursues non-paying employers, and unpaid contributions attract interest.
When you change employers
Your account stays with the fund, because the fund belongs to the sector, not the company. When you move from one registered security company to another, the new employer registers you under your existing member number and contributions continue. You do not need to withdraw, and withdrawing on every job change is how officers end up with nothing at retirement.
If you leave the industry entirely, you can claim a withdrawal benefit, subject to tax and (for contributions made since the two-pot retirement reform) to the rules on the savings and retirement components.
When you can claim
Retirement: at the fund's normal retirement age, or early retirement from the age the rules allow.
Resignation or dismissal: a withdrawal benefit, taxed, with the newer contributions partly preserved under the two-pot rules.
Retrenchment: a withdrawal benefit with more favourable tax treatment.
Disability: a benefit where the officer can no longer work, subject to the fund's rules and assessment.
Death: paid to dependants and nominees. The trustees decide the split under the Pension Funds Act.
Two-pot savings withdrawal: once a tax year, a limited withdrawal from the savings component, for contributions made since the reform date.
Claims need the fund's forms, certified ID, proof of banking, and, for withdrawal, the employer's confirmation of the exit. Claims stall most often because the employer has not submitted its side. Chase both.
What employers must do
Register with the fund before the first officer starts, and register every eligible officer.
Deduct and pay the full contribution every month, on time, with the member schedule.
Reconcile the schedule against the payroll each month: leavers removed, joiners added, wage changes reflected.
Give officers their member numbers and annual statements.
Submit exit documentation promptly when an officer leaves, so their claim is not delayed.
Non-payment is not an admin lapse. It is a breach of the determination and, where the officer's deduction is withheld, a criminal matter. Officers talk, and a company known for missing contributions cannot keep good staff. That is one reason employers who advertise on TenEight often state "provident fund" in the job advert as a selling point.
Quick answers
Is the Private Security Sector Provident Fund compulsory?
Yes, for security officers covered by Sectoral Determination 6 and employed by registered security businesses.
Can I withdraw my provident fund when I change security companies?
You can, but you should not need to: your account stays with the fund and the new employer continues contributions under your member number.
How do I check my provident fund balance?
Ask your employer for your member number and annual benefit statement, or contact the fund's administrator directly with your ID number.
Sources
Sectoral Determination 6 for the Private Security Sector via the Department of Employment and Labour. The fund's own rules and member communications. Contribution rates and retirement-reform rules change. Confirm the current figures with the fund before relying on them.